Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club welcomes hospitality groups to fields

The Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club invited local hospitality groups to the fields over the Memorial Day weekend.

The club and hospitality groups are forming partnerships to help one another promote business and get tourists back to the area.

On Sunday, the polo fields officially kicked off summer with a third consecutive sellout.

General Manager David Sigman said he wants collaborate with hotels and restaurants to help recoup some of the business lost during the two recent disasters.

“To recover from that type of loss is going to take a community effort,” Sigman said.

Members of the hospitality groups said they are excited to partner with the Polo Club–and help promote the sport which is a unique draw to the coast.

“We are moving forward and we are excited to welcome domestic and international travelers. Things are looking good,” said Millie Matz of the Santa Barbara Hotel Group.

Many hotels turned into a refuge for evacuees during the fire and flood.

Now, they are coming together to make tourism, the area’s biggest economic driver, a powerful force once again.

“We can contribute to bring more people to Santa Barbara and show them all the wonderful things you can do here, which includes polo,” said Roberto Van Geenen, of the Ritz-Carlton Bacara.

“Obviously, we all experience some loss from this and it’s now time for us to build back together and make sure that people are coming back to our community to support restaurants, hotels and attractions,” Sigman said.